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Mobility and migration

Refugees at the Gyekenyes Zakany Railway Station in Hungary, October 2015. Photo: Istvan Csak / Shutterstock

Human mobility is driven by diverse factors including conflict and instability, environmental degradation and climate change, poverty, marginalization and poor governance. These drivers co-exist with a number of conditions and enabling factors that determine where and how individuals chose to move. For example, individuals may become displaced within their own country because their hometown is unsafe, or they may elect to move from the countryside to a city in pursuit of economic opportunities. Those who leave their countries might select their destination because of its diaspora community, its proximity or even its visa and asylum policies.

How a country’s policymakers address migration drivers—both at home and abroad—and the extent to which they understand enabling factors and the experiences of migrants influences their ability to sustainably manage migration flows and prevent forced migration. This research considers the complex system in which mobility and migration occur to inform comprehensive policy responses at the national, regional and international levels.

SIPRI

SIPRI is an independent international institute dedicated to research into conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament. Established in 1966, SIPRI provides data, analysis and recommendations, based on open sources.